


Come Sail Away

by Ultra



Category: Firefly, Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Awkwardness, Crack Crossover, F/M, Face Slapping, Flirting, Friendship, Gen, Magic-Users, Mystery, Odd, Romance, Some Humor, Team as Family, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-13
Updated: 2014-12-13
Packaged: 2018-08-07 12:41:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7715266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ultra/pseuds/Ultra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU post-Season 3 OUAT / AU Firefly. Two new passengers have arrived aboard Serenity, and their names are Mr & Mrs Gold!</p>
<p>(Originally written for liliannabelle, based on her prompts: Rumbelle - ‘stumbled’ or Jayne and/or Mal flirt with Belle, or heck even Belle/Inara flirting-esque friendship, and all partners getting jealous)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Come Sail Away

“You don’t find it a might strange, sir?” asked Zoe in a low voice. “Two people like that just magically appearing?”

“I hardly think there was magic involved,” said Mal with a smirk. “C’mon now, you didn’t just start believin’ in fairytales ‘tween dirtside and here, did ya?”

Zoe narrowed her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. She did not appreciate Mal taking that tone with her, but then he was the Captain so it was hard to argue. Of course she didn’t really believe in magic, but there was something awful strange about the couple that come seeking passage aboard Serenity tonight. A woman in a flouncy dress, hardly made for travel, and a man in some kind of leather get up, the like of which Zoe never did see anywhere before, and there was just something off about the pair of them, something she weren’t at all comfortable with. However, she seemed to be the only one.

Around the table in the common area the rest of the crew gathered near to the new passengers, all except Wash who was piloting the ship. Zoe had a mind to go and join him for as long as the guys and gals on her crew were set to fawning on the co-called Mr and Mrs Gold. Somehow even those names didn’t sound right to her.

Even as Zoe walked away, Mal rejoined his crew at the table, hearing Belle finish off the tale of how she and her husband had come to meet and fall in love. Kaylee was in raptures over the whole thing, much to Simon’s uncomfortableness. Inara was seemingly caught up in the story and smiled at the completion of it.

“That’s quite a tale,” she told its narrator.

“Gorram fei-oo,” Jayne scoffed. “’Spect us to believe you fell into love with some man that traded you from your Pa?” he asked Belle.

Her husband visibly winced. Rumpelstiltskin wasn’t a great fan of some of his past dealings, least of all how he had come to ‘own’ Belle in the beginning. She took it all with good humour and great grace as always.

“Things were very different in our land, especially back then,” she explained. “I know it doesn’t sound very romantic, it didn’t feel very romantic to start off with,” she laughed lightly.

“Romance is over-rated,” said River definitely, though nobody really knew how she had come to have a well-informed opinion on such things.

“I don’t suppose the situation with Mr and Mrs Gold was so different to the arranged marriages amongst the circles my family moved in,” Simon considered. “In fact it was probably preferable to that.”

“Indeed,” Rumpelstiltskin agreed. “Belle was only required to keep house for me. She fell in love of her own volition, as I did myself, though I never intended such a thing.”

“I don’t think nobody intends to fall in love with anybody else,” said Kaylee with a dreamy sigh. “But when it happens... Oh, I can’t imagine anythin’ more pretty than taming a beast and having him fall for ya,” she whispered to Belle, who laughed a little at the sentiment.

Nobody had noticed River moving until she appeared behind the new passengers, reaching a hand out to Rumpelstiltskin’s shoulder. He reacted like a snake, turning fast and grabbing her hand. River gasped and tried to draw back her hand, but Rumpel had a tight hold. Their eyes met for a moment, and electricity seemed to crackle in the air.

“Rumpel?” said Belle warily, not at all amused as she watched her husband and this young woman gazing at each other like lovers might, both breathing shallow breaths.

A second later, River was running full pelt from the room. Rumpel righted himself in his seat, cleared his throat, tried to wave away the strange moment. The truth was he had sensed something in the young River, something that they shared, a magical quality that was indescribably strong. Still, it was not something he was prepared to talk about in mixed company.

“Well, weren’t that just somethin’,” said Jayne gruffly as he ever said anything. “You got mind readin’ skills like Crazy there, mister?” he asked Rumpel who shifted awkwardly again.

“No, indeed,” he said, a half-lie, but it didn’t matter.

“You’ll have to excuse River... and Jayne as well,” said Inara, leaning into Rumpel’s side. “They are only overwhelmed by our having new and interesting guests.”

“As we all are, I’d venture to say,” said Mal from the other end of the table, raising his cup in a toast to the Golds. “No offence intended to either of you folks, but just so long as you pay your fair as agreed, don’t much matter to me if you’re mind readers, hell raisers, nor the humblest folk that ever set foot aboard.”

“I assure you, Captain, we are none of those things,” said Belle. “But I would like to hear a little about all of you.”

“Perhaps while you make friends, dearie, I can settle the Captain’s mind with a little payment,” said Rumpel getting up from his seat. “If you will oblige me to the cargo bay, Captain Reynolds?”

“I surely will,” said Mal, drinking down the last of his brew before going with Gold.

Jayne moved quickly into the empty seat beside Belle.

“We are to share a living space for a while, it would be nice to get to know you all,” she was saying to Kaylee, but it was the mercenary who answered.

“You wanna get to know me, lady, you ain’t gotta ask twice,” he said with a wicked smile.

Inara slapped his bicep.

“Jayne! She is a married woman,” she reminded him.

“That never stopped nobody,” he told her, at which Simon rolled his eyes.

“We apologise for Jayne... again,” he said definitely. “Though it ought to be a physical impossibility, I don’t believe his mouth is actually connected to his brain at all.”

“He’s fine,” Belle assured them. “And though some may not take their marriage vows seriously, I do,” she told Jayne straight. “I happen to believe in true love, between myself and Rumpel, just the same as between Kaylee and Simon here.”

It was hard to tell who went more red out of the young non-couple at the table, they were both the colour of tomatoes.

“Oh, we’re not... I mean, we ain't sweeties nor nothin’,” said Kaylee bashfully.

Belle opened her mouth to apologise then turned sharply, slapping Jayne’s face so hard they probably heard it a galaxy away. Without a word he looked around at the people staring at him, rose from the chair and shot off to his bunk. Inara looked curiously at Belle who only smiled.

“Apparently his ears aren’t connected to his brain either, though his wandering hands might be,” she said plainly, picking up her tea cup daintily then and taking a long sip.

“What happened to Jayne?” asked Mal as he and Rumpel returned to the scene only to see the merc fleeing.

Nobody wanted to admit the truth, not with Belle’s husband present. He was glaring enough based purely on his suspicions, and when Rumpel met his wife’s eyes they visibly flashed with anger.

“I dealt with him, Rumpel,” she said, grabbing his sleeve when he turned as if to go after the knave that dared lay a hand on his wife.

“Yes, please don’t feel you must exact revenge on, Jayne,” Inara smiled, encouraging their guest to return to his seat. “Honestly, it would do no good. He really has no good sense. If he learnt nothing from the strike Belle gave him, he really is a hopeless case.”

Rumpelstiltskin nodded his ascent and sat back down, noticing how Inara’s smile only grew wider and that she stared with an unwavering look at not just him but Belle too. Somehow he doubted that striking the Companion would have the same effect as Belle’s pointed attack on Cobb, but the same kind of thoughts appeared to be running through her head. Between the interests of Inara and Jayne, the magic-imbued River, and the generally nosey crew, perhaps it was a good thing they would not be travelling on Serenity for very long. Yes, Rumpelstiltskin would be very glad when he and Belle could get back on solid ground again!


End file.
